Sleep Late
by EE's Skysong
Summary: Sequel to A Little While. A lot's happened to Smellerbee and Longshot: Jet's death, a rift, months of long travel... is it any wonder they want to relax now? Gaggingly Longerbee.


Disclaimer: "When the whole world fits inside of your arms Do we really need to pay attention to the alarm? Wake up slow Wake up slow"

(An: Well, this is the sequel to "A Little While". I said I'd do one. If you haven't read that, I suggest you do so. Not just because I'm proud of it, but this fic picks up a few hours where the last one left off, so it might leave you a little confused otherwise. Oh, by the way, Longshot and Smellerbee have an outdated map. To be cliched, this fic is about the journey, not the destination, so where they're headed really isn't important. I'm just not original enough to come up with my own city.)

Morning found Smellerbee and Longshot slowly. Longshot stirred first. Both the sun and force of habit refused to let him go back to sleep. Both tiredness and the girl clinging to him made him wish he could.

There was definitely something different about Smellerbee now. They had slept together before- having someone warm beside you helped with the nightmares- but she had never looked like this. Ordinarily, she was guarded even in rest. Her wary glare would linger. Today, though, she was smiling, and she reached for him when he tried to move away.

He smiled in spite of himself, resting his head on top of hers.

He must have dozed off at some point because the next thing he knew, Smellerbee was poking him awake. When he cracked an eye, she shoved a turnover into his hands. "Morning."

Longshot nodded his thanks. When he actually looked at her, he did a double take. She wasn't wearing her chestplate.

While Smellerbee's face and voice remained level, she began picking apart the roll she was holding. "I didn't wear it today 'cause my back hurt. You know, the way we fell asleep and all."

Longshot knew she was lying, but it would have been impolite to bring it up. Instead, he finished his breakfast and asked, "Where are we going?"

Smellerbee pored over a borrowed map as Longshot saddled their ostrich horses. "Omashu," she proclaimed finally. Longshot paused and looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "Two reasons: it's big, and it's far away from here."

Longshot smiled and patted the ostrich horse. "Sounds good to me."

O-o-O-o-O

The problem with comfortable silences was that they gave you altogether too much time to think.

Longshot was fine; he was comfortable with his own thoughts. Smellerbee wasn't. Waking up beside him had never been awkward before. Usually, she was grateful for his presence. He was her strength.

Something had changed today, though. She had been intensely aware that he was a boy and she was a girl, something that had never mattered until just now. So she hadn't worn her chestplate. There really wasn't anything to show, but if she was being forced to remember their differences, he should be subject to it as well.

Except it wasn't working. He, as usual, was at peace with himself, and she wasn't.

So, while Longshot rode with a small smile, she wore a dark scowl.

O-o-O-o-O

Longshot didn't notice her foul mood until they set up camp. She fed the ostrich horses as he lit a fire. He knew she was upset about something by her movements. She had none of her usual grace; rather, her movements were quick, flustered, and frustrated. Longshot bit back a sigh; he knew if he asked her about it, she'd just get angrier. She'd tell him at her own time, but it was annoying to have to wait.

When she sat down, he gave her her rice and tried to study her without being too obvious about it.

After about five minutes, Smellerbee slammed down her bowl and glared at him. "Don't you notice it?"

Longshot blinked. "…What?"

She groaned, tilting her head back. "I don't know. I guess it's nothing."

He stared at her for a second, totally confused.

Smellerbee sighed and took his bowl. "I'll clean up tonight."

"Did you hit your head?"

She paused and looked at him for a long moment. "Yeah, probably." She frowned and didn't say a thing the rest of the night.

Longshot was used to dealing with her in a mood; it was best to leave her be until she figured out what she wanted.

O-o-O-o-O

The next day dawned wonderfully warm and sunny. It had been summer for several weeks, but now it finally felt like it. When Smellerbee woke up, Longshot had already packed up his things and was nowhere to be found. She considered waiting for him to return, but she wanted a good wash while she had the chance. She knew there was a river nearby…

O-o-O-o-O

She washed slowly. Part of it was that she'd never had the chance before- her baths had always been hurried in fear of being walked in on. She could take being the only girl in all those boys with her armor, but she wasn't sure what she'd do if any of them caught her without.

But she hadn't worn it lately… why? It was just Longshot. But what did that mean now?

That was the real reason she was washing slow- she needed something to do with her hands as she thought, and cleaning herself was as good as anything.

Longshot had been her tower once, the place she locked herself away in when things were too hard. But that had been before Lake Laogai, before the rift that had grown between them on their journey home, before a week ago. All of that had changed _something_, dammit.

Except that he seemed to be the same; he still smiled at her in that conspiratorial way, like they were sharing a secret, still preferred actions over words, still did everything with quiet dignity and confidence.

But if he hadn't changed, that meant _she_ had, and that was terrifying.

She dressed and sat on the bridge. It was a moot point this time of year, since the river was barely a foot deep. She sat on the railing and dangled her toes in the water, enjoying the sun sinking into her bones. That, at least, was simple. She'd thought things with Longshot were simple, too. But now, without the blinding light that was Jet, she was beginning to see that Longshot's soft glow was just as beautiful. Maybe moreso.

She heaved a world-weary sigh and nearly jumped out of her skin when someone's breath tickled the back of her neck. "Hey," said Longshot. Smellerbee shrieked and fell into the water, face-first.

Spitting out sand and water, she stood up, utterly disgusted with herself. She was acting like a smitten schoolgirl. It was _Longshot_, for spirit's sake! Her best friend! And here she was, thinking about him like… like a boy! She shook her head, both to rid herself of some of the water and to firmly deny her previous train of thought. She looked behind herself, to see Longshot leaning against the railing. He had his head down, hiding a smile. Smellerbee exhaled. "What's so funny?" she demanded, putting a hand on her hip.

"I don't think I can answer that without you hitting me."

Smellerbee humphed; he had a point. She stepped out of the river and squeezed some of the water out of her shirt with a sigh. "I just got _dry_, too," she mumbled.

"Are you all right?"

She knew he wasn't asking about her fall. "Why?" She frowned down at her shirt when she heard the clipped tone of her voice. It wasn't his fault he was confusing her.

"That's the first time I've snuck up on you in… ever."

She glared over her shoulder at him and noticed his hat hung around his shoulders instead of resting on his head. A wicked smirk tugged at her lips.

Longshot blinked. He knew _that_ was nothing good.

Smellerbee kept her face innocuous as she joined him on the bridge. She peered over the side for a moment, and then she grabbed his hat and booked. Longshot squawked (sounding amazingly like his ostrich horse) and ran after her. It was no contest, really; he had longer legs and a quicker stride. He overtook her and snatched the hat from her hands. When she saw the incensed expression on his face, Smellerbee collapsed in the grass, giggling hopelessly (and a little hysterically). He sat beside her. "Now you're scaring me," he muttered.

She sat up on her elbows. "And why," she asked, blowing a grass stalk off her face, "is that?"

He glanced at her, his expression as dour as ever. "You're actually acting like a girl for once."

Smellerbee glanced at him, the lazy feeling of the moment threatening to fade away. "What do you mean?"

Longshot took his time in retying his hat under his chin. "I've never heard you laugh like that, for one thing… it's not bad, just different." He shrugged, slumping over his knees, and finally looked at her. "I liked it, actually." He had an odd little smile on his face. There was a lot of amusement in it, which made her stick out her tongue and fall back on the grass, basking in the sun.

Quietly, Longshot added, "I liked it a lot." He glanced over at her, but Smellerbee had fallen asleep. She was smiling again, and he smiled back, even though he knew she couldn't see it. He took off his hat and stretched out next to her, putting an arm around her waist.

O-o-O-o-O

Smellerbee had never napped before. It made her feel lazy, but it also made her feel warm and comfortable. She glanced over at Longshot; she'd also never woken up before him so much. He was a before-dawn person, certainly not a nap person. But he was smiling in his sleep, a smile she didn't realize she was echoing until she saw it on his face. The arm he had around her waist was casually possessive.

All of this made Smellerbee feel like swearing. Loudly. She settled for making a cross noise and prodding Longshot in the ribs to wake him up. Before she could reach him for another poke, he caught her hand, sitting up and covering a yawn with his free one. "What?"

Smellerbee pulled away and shook her head, studying the ground. "Nothing."

"No, it's not." He paused, carefully contemplating how to phrase his concern. "Smellerbee, you've been acting oddly ever since we left the forest. You're mad at me for something, I think, and you won't tell me what, and it's really starting to bug me. Explain yourself."

She rested her head on her knees. In a very small voice, she said, "I don't think I can."

"You've never had a problem telling me anything before," he replied, sounding slightly hurt.

"This is _different_ than before!" Smellerbee burst out, looking at him. "I don't know why, but it is, and I'm- I'm just really confused. I feel like a girl for once."

Longshot nodded, a corner of his mouth quirking despite his best attempts. Smellerbee glared at him sourly, but he smiled and slipped an arm around her thin shoulders.

"Be patient with me," she whispered, resting her head against his chest.

Longshot murmured, "I have been for years."

They stayed there until it started to get dark. With slow movements and much protesting, they went back to camp.

O-o-O-o-O

The fire was glowing embers; the moon was high in the sky. Longshot was spreading out his bedroll, but Smellerbee made no move to do the same. She was watching the stars, her knees pulled tight against her chest. He tapped her on the shoulder, but she just scooted over. Getting the hint, he sat beside her. For once, the silence wasn't comfortable. It was more like a waiting. And he was usually patient to the point of insanity, but now he had a jittery urge to _move_, to end this odd little dance between them. "Are we looking for something or at something?" Longshot asked finally. He had never thought he would be one to break a silence instead of prolonging it, but this seemed a night for strangeness and changes.

"At," Smellerbee replied, as though it were obvious. "It's a beautiful night."

"Yes." He was tempted to add an "And…?", but he knew she was already working that out. She had never been one to pick her words carefully; she would usually just lash out and regret it later. Now she was, though, studying the stars as though she wished they could speak for her.

"Longshot?" He looked at her. There was something odd in her gaze that he couldn't quite puzzle out. She wasn't as used to speaking with it, he supposed. "Close your eyes." He blinked. "I can't do it with you staring at me, that's why!" Her voice wanted to be sharp, but she couldn't quite manage it.

Longshot obliged, trying his best not to smile. "You're not allowed to say anything about this 'cause I'm not sure what it means, either." Longshot resisted the urge to open his eyes, even though he could feel her breath on his cheek. He couldn't keep them shut, though, when he felt a light pressure on his lips.

He drew back, blinking rapidly. "Smellerbee, what-?"

She blushed, glaring at him sullenly. "I told you already." She shrugged. "It just… it seemed like the right thing to do."

"Smellerbee, I would appreciate it if you thought out your actions," Longshot murmured, ghosting a hand across his lips. "It would make things less confusing."

Smellerbee crossed her arms and said nothing.

Longshot took her hands. "It did seem like the right thing to me, too, though."

Smellerbee blinked, and, before she could say anything stupid that would make things too complicated, he leaned over and kissed her. They could sort things out in the morning. And Longshot didn't know about Smellerbee, but he planned to sleep late.

(That was a BITCH to write, thanks to someone who will not be named (-coughRACHELcough-). Still, at least I finished it. I may or may not write a third one, since these two still have some issues… probably may not, though. Review!)


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